Life After Death
by dust-sommelier
Summary: The end of the world is nigh. Many are doing things for the hell of it, since nothing lies beyond the final day. But since no matter what happens, not a care could be given about necessary precautions... SPOILERS OF PERSONA 3, BOTH THE JOURNEY AND THE ANSWER! PLEASE PLAY IT BEFORE READING!
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

January 29th, 2009

Yukari's Dorm Room

Evening

The lights were dim, the room nearly dark, but, despite that, his eyes ceased to not shine.

Above her the silver eyes were, adjacent to hers on the horizon line. Both his hands on the bed beside her, he loomed over her, but she did not fear. She blossomed.

No fabric separated them from one another. The only feeling she felt was his soft skin touching hers. The bed groaned over their constantly shifting weight. She held on tight to him, fearing that if she let go anytime soon, he'd fly away from her.

"Makoto…" She breathed into his shoulder. As usual, no vocal response rose from him, but his eyes spoke for him. They glimmered as he felt her skin touching his, the blobs of body mass touching his chest every time he went down.

As he ventured deeper into her realm, she let out an obscene chorus. She slid her hands down from him bare neck down to his firm arms and clenched. His muscles flexed every time he moved his weight around, her fingers subconsciously massaging them. Heavy breathing mischievously caressed one another's skin, the warmth making their body temp rise more. His presence and actions spoke louder than any diction he's ever let escape his lips. The lips that were brushing her neck, occasionally pecking it.

This was it. If they failed 48 hours from now, this was it. The last time they would be like this. As if they were fusing into each other. Together as one.

"Yukari…"

The monotone voice caused her eyes to open wider and lock gaze with the silver lining of his. They stayed in that gaze from what seemed to her like a lifetime. She thought he was becoming more himself to her. She could feel him starting to become…

A loud screech escaped her mouth. She covered her lips with her whole hand and mumbled the rest of her vocal reaction. While she was completely overwhelmed with her sudden physical feelings, he stopped moving and sat up, keeping his gaze. A deep sigh escaped her lips and so did a giggle.

"Well…" Yukari spoke in a hushed whisper. She teased her hand over his before placing it on top. "I'm happy about how this turned out…" She turned her gaze away from a moment, shy, and turned it back to him. His expression was nothing far from his normal, exhausted face besides the blush that colored his fair face. Something like magic to her, it was.

"I… I'm glad we spent this one last time together…" She continued, a bit softer. "Thank you…" She rubbed her thumb on the back of his hand. Her smile shore as bright as his eyes.

He sat there, staring at her for a moment. She could have sworn from the moment before he leaned his head to when his lips tenderly pecked her forehead that a miniature smile formed on his face. But she was for sure it took most of its form on hers.

Now, the future of the world was ahead of them and their teammates…

March 5th, 2009

Makoto's Dorm Room

Evening

"Sleeping like a baby…"

Surrounding Makoto's bed was all his dorm friends. And in Makoto's bed was him himself in a deep sleep. His chest slowly rose and fell, the sound of his soft breathing faint in the room's atmosphere.

"That's not true," Aigis spoke, the closest friend to his bed. "Infants hardly ever sleep. They're always crying. Makoto is not," she stroke her metal hand over his forehead to brush away his blue locks.

"Whatever, Ai-chan," Junpei sighed, hands shoved in his coat pockets. "We understood what Ken meant…" But instead of slouching away from the conversation, a small smile formed and a chuckle managed to escape his thin lips.

Yukari sneekly brushed her hand across Makoto's. As expected, he didn't react to such a light touch. Though that didn't stop her from blushing the slightest. His sleeping face was a common sight for her, but she couldn't help but let it get to her. Just like the first time she saw it.

"Sleeping like this after we all reunited," Akihiko spoke, his voice smiling. "That's our leader alright…" He chuckled too, his emotions changing his face.

Everyone awkwardly stood there, gazing at the sight of their miracle-worker. Not one person in the room could have guessed they'd live to this day, let alone the most stoic person there being the one who protected it for them.

"I think it would best to leave him to do so," Mitsuru lowly added, not too close, but not too far from his bed. "After all, he deserves a peaceful one. I, for one, wouldn't want to be the one to disturb it,"

"I agree, Miss Kirijo," Ken spoke with content. "In fact, I'm pretty sleepy too," As if on cue, he gave a small yawn.

"Yeah, I'm more tired than hungry," Fuuka joined in, softly but audible enough. "I'd be alright skipping dinner," she stood up from her knees, keeping her gaze on the sleeping boy.

"Then that's settled," Akihiko summed up, walking towards the door. "I should rest and relax before departing in a few days," and he left.

Everyone did the same, leaving one by one, saying their own "goodnight"s to the remaining friends. And as the number whittled down, the last person there was Yukari. She sat there on her knees, her head and arms rested on the edge of his bed. Her eyes stayed locked on his body, just staring.

Seeing the boy sleeping dragged her down into dreamland, her eyelids slowly dropping to a close, her body relaxing into a state of peace. His nearby presence luld her to sleep, till she was out.

March 6th, 2010

Dorm

Evening

"Has Mr. Yuki came down at all today?"

Yukari looked up from her magazine of various trends and gossips, all just like the good old days. Giving a moment to respond, she shook her head. "Not that I know of…"

Ken turned his gaze to the dog on the floor, looking right back at him. "How about you go check on him, Koromaru?" The dog gave a short woof and made his way upstairs, passing by Mitsuru and Akihiko on their way down.

"Has anybody eaten dinner yet?" Mitsuru questioned the group, taking a glance over the present people.

Akihiko pointed his thumb to himself, his other hand on his hip. "I got a healthy, protein filled meal to fix!" He announced with proud grin. "It'll keep us strong and healthy while we wait for Yuki to wake up!"

"Yes please, Mr. Sanada!" Ken joyfully chimed in, perking up in his seat.

"Sound good to me!" Junpei jumped in, raising his hand to be noticed while leaning back in his chair.

"Me as well!" Fuka added, giving a small laugh as well. She turned to Yukari and asked: "What about you, Yukari?"

She sat still for a moment, then shrugged turning away. "I'll pass," she replied with a small smile. "I'm not feeling the best right now… Sorry Akihiko…" She could feel a bit of disturbance somewhere in her body.

"Suit yourself, Yuka-tan!" Junpei chirped, the turned back to his own magazine.

"Oh! May I help Akihiko?" Fuka raise a question, slightly raising her hand.

"Sure!"

Everything buzzed around her, everyone talking and doing things. She couldn't quite pay attention to any certain thing not participate either. All she felt like doing was sitting there, relaxing, and waiting…

"Arf arf! Arf arf! Arf arf arf!"

Claws came scraping down the stairs, dashing down in a constant sound. And everyone froze.

Ken shot up from the couch. "What's wrong, Koromaru?" He asked the dog. But all the dog did was bark and bark.

Fuka gasped. "Didn't he go to check on Makoto?!"

"What's happened?!" Junpei jumped up too, also in a frenzy to know. All Koromaru did was jump back up the stairs, barking all the way.

"Let's follow him!" Mitsuru declared, commanding everyone to hurry in a big hand motion.

Koromaru led them to Makoto's opened door, the lights off. As everyone rushed in, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Until Koromaru nudged the boy's hand hanging from the edge of the bed. He then took his paws and pawed the edge of the bed, whimpering and his ears down.

Mitsuru was the first to rush forward to investigate. She put her hand to his forehead. Upon immediate touch, her expression change.

"This is…" She touched his chest. "...inconceivable!" She touched his wrist.

"W-What's the matter, Mitsuru?!" Fuka begged for an answer.

Mitsuru continued to check everything. His neck, his eyes, his forehead again… Everything started to spin around Yukari. She teetered around the room, everyone's attention still on Makoto. She grabbed onto the side of his desk, clenching her stomach.

"No… No way…"

"Mitsuru?!"

The woman backed away from the bed, stumbling backwards.

"He's… He's dead…!"

Everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2: The Discovery

CHAPTER 2

Light shined through the darkness. It flickered before her very eyes, like a lightbulb about to go. Then it stayed lit, but that's all it was. Light. She lay there, trying to pry the darkness for more. Voices then started to come from the distance. But none could be understood. She pushed and pushed for the light to increase. And it did. The light grew brighter and the darkness shrunk and disappeared. Then the voices came with it.

"I cannot imagine how this could have happened… It just doesn't make any sense…"

Her eyes laid on a white color, which she soon recognized as a ceiling. Her ceiling in her room. Then she turned her head onto what felt to be her pillow to see a fuzzy image of a familiar figure.

"Ah. Takeba…"

"Mitsuru-sempai…" Her voice came out groggingly, almost unrecognizable to herself. It spoke for the rest of her body. She felt stiff and restrained. Her stomach was in knots and her head was foged.

"I'm relieved to see you awake," The graduate expressed to her. "I was about to worry if…" Then she stopped, turning away from the younger girl. But she soon turned back.

"How are you feeling?" Mitsuru spoke again, this time, staring right into her eyes.

Feeling… Well before she went out, she felt… Sick. She remembered swaying all over the place before collapsing… Where was she before she…?

Makoto's room.

Makoto…

"Makoto!" She blurted out, the only thing her mind was running on. She shot up in her bed, regretting it once her head pounded. "W-Was I dreaming?! Is he really…?!" She searched her sempai's eyes for confusion, but only got the one she was hoping not to see.

"Yes…" Mitsuru turned away once more. "He's… Passed on…" This time, she did not turn back.

Tears. She felt tears streaming down her cheeks. They wouldn't stop, even though the pain in her head only increased the longer she sobbed. Burying her face in her hands, she hoped it would all end. This nightmare… This lie…

Then a feeling rose within her.

She searched around the room with her eyes, her hands over her mouth. Mitsuru handed her a wastebin without questions and let the girl puke inside. She took no mind to the noises and hurls, but did show a bit of a new expression on her face.

"At first, we thought it was shock from the sudden tragedy, but then…"

Yukari finished and looked up with both a mixed expression of drowsiness and confusion.

"But what…?" She quietly questioned, still keeping the bin in her grasps.

"I looked into symptoms, but passing out and throwing up isn't any of them…" Mitsuru continued, not looking at her anymore. "Maybe it's…" She stopped for a moment. Then she stood up.

"I need to get some things from the pharmacy," she declared. "I'll return as soon as possible. In the meantime, I'll send Fuka in to be with you while I'm gone," and without a backwards glance, the red haired girl was gone.

She would protest and question her actions, but she felt too groggy to. Besides, she felt more rising in her throat…

…

March 6th, 2010

Late Night

Yukari's Room

Just like she promised, Mitsuru was back. Yukari couldn't tell how long, but it wasn't too long, that's for sure.

The older girl shoved a small box into her hands.

"I know this is jumping to conclusions, but go into the bathroom and try this," Mitsuru flat out told her. She wouldn't budge, but Yukari wouldn't bother to push her at all, so she took the item and looked at it.

She sweated a little.

"O-Okay, if you say so…" She got up and passed by Mitsuru to leave her room and down the hall to the ladies' room. Fuka, who was also in the room, timidly followed behind her.

As Yukari stepped into a stall, Fuka stood outside the door. "I-I'll be here if you need any help…" she softly spoke,

then went silent.

She did what the box told her. After going through the process of peeing, she lifted it up to her gaze and looked at it. As the results started to appear, her body trembled, then dropped the item all together.

"Y-Yukari?!"

She covered her mouth with both hands, staring at the item on the floor. Hyperventilating, she read it again and again. But each time, it said the same thing.

Positive.

"Ohmygod… Ohmygod… No…!" She couldn't catch her heartbeat nor her breath. All that happened was the gasps turning into sobs.

"Yukari, please! Answer me!" Fuka continued to beg. "What's the matter?!" She pressed her ear to the stall door, only for it to come slamming open. Fuka stumbled and watched as Yukari ran out and to a sink. She splashed water into her face, again and again, hoping to wake up somewhere else.

"Takeba!"

Mitsuru stood in the doorway. She looked around and notice the situation, her expression changing.

"Takeba…" She whispered as she walked over. "It's okay… It's going to be alright…" She rubbed the shoulders of the girl, but the girl brushed them off.

"No!" Yukari shouted, in the middle of a sob. "No, you don't understand! I'm…! Ohmygod…" She broke down even further, her thoughts just a solid blob and not anything of worth.

"I know, it's very terrifying and unbelievable, but you need to calm down…" Mitsuru spoke again, this time, more out of character for her. "This is something that you're experiencing early as a woman, is all… At least try to be happy…"

"NO!" She shouted again, this time shoving the older girl. "My life! It's ruined! I…! I cannot face anyone anymore!" She pushed past the two girls and out of the bathroom. She did not look back or stop till she was in her room and the door locked. Throwing herself onto her bed, she continued to sob.

She sobbed herself into a deep slumber… Nothing close to peace is what she felt.


	3. Chapter 3: The Answer

"I… I… Want to go back. To the time before the last battle…"

Everyone sat there in shock, looking at her as if she sprouted another head or limb. All eyes were on her.

"Yukari…" Mitsuru knew why, but as for the others…

"So… You're giving up? Are you saying you don't have the strength to face reality?" Akihiko responded in disbelief. "After all the things we've gone through…" He looked away from the younger girl.

"Oh yeah, you're really the one to talk…" She grumbled, not meeting any eyes. She pressed her legs together and clenched her fists together in a ball. "Don't you understand!? We can go back and fix things!" Her desperation was only read by the two girls in the room.

"Even if there was a way to reverse Shinji and Miki's death, I'd flat-out refuse," Akihiko admitted, countering Yukari with sincerity. "Nothing in the past was a mistake, Yukari… He did what he did,"

She clenched her fists tighter, holding back tears. Fuka's concerned gaze could be felt from the other side of the living area. She felt several emotions rising in her, then bursting out into words.

"When it all comes down to it, you only care about yourselves…"

"Yukari-!" Mitsuru started to speak, but Akihiko and Ken jumped from their seats.

"What?!" Akihiko retaliated in disbelief, fists now clenched.

"How can you say that?!" Ken added, feelings obviously damaged. Anger rose in their eyes like familiar flames.

Fuka started making sounds, trying to speak, but only came out to small panicking and reserved hand motions and squirms. Yukari turned her body away from the rest of the group, arms crossed and whole body curled up. She kept shaking her head, saying: "This is no use…"

Everything went around and around, talking to each other in frantic yet serious tones of varied reason. When fighting for all the keys came to mention, the two girls looked at Yukari with deep concern, then looked at each other. Yukari made no comment, nor protest. But Metis did, when it came to Aigis' life on the line with her connection to him. Now it was all up to Aigis now. What she wanted was where it all went and how it was to go down. But when Yukari heard that Aigis didn't even have a decision on which door…

"So you're not going to anything?!" She countered Aigis' neutral response. "Just how you weren't there at his funeral, just like the rest of us?!" Her tears wanted to escape, but she clenched her jaw and growled.

"I'm not going to lose to someone like you!" She declared, loud and clear.

Mitsuru and Fuka were in shock, but were bound shut by secrecy they promised the girl. So they just stared, their eyes searching the girl's body language, but she meant business…

"Yukari-chan…" Fuka spoke up, softly trying to keep her real distress concealed. "A-Are you really going to fight…?" She clenched her hands together in front of her chest, hoping for some sort of reason rather than impulse in response, but no response came, nor a change in stance.

Mitsuru removed her gaze from Yukari and to Fuka, who also turned to her for an answer. But even the older girl had nothing but to let it be…

"I'm going to stand with Yukari…"

…

"I want to see him…"

Fuka glanced over to Mitsuru from Yukari, who fell onto the ground on her knees. Aigis stood in front of the fallen girl, silent and gazing with remorse. Her body shook with sorrow as she cried, clenching the ground.

"While holding his cold hand, I…" She couldn't finish, breaking down into more tears and sobbing. She wailed, all her emotions having to be held in for so long coming out.

"I don't care…!" She cried out, tears soaking her face. "I just want to see him again!" She trembled and sobbed, covering her face in her hands, unable to stop her crying. She was alone. She had no one, no man to help her through this. It was all on her. And at such a young age…

Mitsuru approached her and got on her knees beside her on the ground. She delicately placed a hand on her trembling shoulders, while another on one of the girl's wrists.

"Yukari…" She whispered to her, trying to get her to uncover her face. "There's no way to truly put the past behind you… Especially in your situation. You'll only succeed in running from it,"

Yukari let her pull her hands away from her face, but she still scrunched up her face and sobbed. "I know you weren't ready for this and it's painful to face, but your wounds will never heal if you don't accept it," Mitsuru continued to console. But Yukari looked up at her, eyebrows furrowed and tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"You don't understand! It'll never be okay!" She shouted, but her anger was overcome by more tears and sobbing. "I cannot forget him like it's nothing! Not with what I'm left with…!" She lowered her head once more, her sobbing now louder than before. Mitsuru looked away, giving a heavy sigh.

"...You're right," The older girl admitted, only getting a hint of what she meant. "But… Can't we be here for you when things become too much of a burden?" She touched the girl's shoulder again, this time rubbing it with a gentle touch.

Yukari said nothing more. Mitsuru buried further into the young girl's bubble. "I cannot go on without repaying you for how you helped me last year, you know…" She grabbed both her shoulders and gently pulled the girl to face her. "I will put aside my own feelings to help you now, just like you did then… Our losses are not different but the same. So isn't it part of our bonds to be there for one another in times of distress and doubt?"

Yukari looked away from the older girl's eyes, then back again moments later. "M-Mitsuru… Sempai…" She softly sobbed. Her lack of energy caused her to fall into the other girl's embrace and she sobbed, grabbing onto her sleeves and letting her tears fall to her shoulders.

"I've… Made my decision… I'm going through with it till the end…"

…

April 1st, 2010

Dorm Lobby

Early Morning

"So," the older girl began. "Has it terminated yet?" She looked at the younger girl with question, keeping secrecy.

The younger girl clenched her bag of belongings. A smile plastered itself onto her face.

"I don't think it ever will, and I'm happy about that…"


	4. Chapter 4: The Start

April 3rd, 2010

Yukari and Aigis' Room

Evening

"Fuka-san told me about your situation," Aigis inquired as she sat on the edge of her own bed. "So what is this, 'pregnancy' thing? I have never heard of it before…"

Yukari looked down at her no longer flat stomach. Instead, it was starting to grow a bit rounded. She gave a soft smile and touched her belly with her whole hand.

"It's… Really complicated and embarrassing to explain…" The younger girl awkwardly laughed. "Essentially, inside of me is growing a human. A very small human called a baby. And that baby, once born, will slowly grow into any other human you've seen before,"

The living robot turned her head to the side. "How did it get in there?" Her curiosity was blossoming, making it hard for Yukari to keep a calm composer without fidgeting and blushing.

"I… Let me just say that… Makoto had some part in it," she nervously laughed again, her blushing increasing to a brighter color of pink. "So, inside me grows… our child…" She rubbed her belly again, her eyes starting to water from the thought of it, but she shook them off and smiled.

Aigis took a moment of thinking, a finger on her chin and a focused gaze in her eyes, looking away from her. Then she turned back to her. "So, once this 'human baby' comes out, it will be like Makoto-san?" She proposed.

"Well, a mix of him and me," Yukari responded, but then stopped. "Though I don't know how much would be him or me…" She too took her turn to think, also looking away from Aigis.

"I'm excited," the robot girl declared, gaining the human girl's attention. "It's like our Makoto-san is being reborn, right?" Her question rang in the girl's mind, then made her smile.

"Maybe…"

…

All throughout those nine months, the girls of the dorm were with her, taking care of her every need. Even Aigis, who knew the least about human babies, was more than excited to help. Even though during the school days, when Yukari was alone in the dorm, Mitsuru sent a family worker to aid her and keep an eye on her throughout every step of the way. That wasn't to say the girls didn't do much to help. Every afternoon, when they came home, Aigis would have the day's schoolwork and homework for her to do, while Fuka had a treat for her every day.

They weren't judgemental towards the young mother at all. Instead, they encouraged her to stay herself and not worry about those at school whispering and spreading rumors about her. They let her leave it up to them to quell and disband the falsehood of their gossip-hungry classmates.

After all they went through, it was like a sisterhood they all always wanted.

So when that day in late October finally came, they never left her side...

…

November 1st, 2010

Yukari and Aigis' Room

Evening

"I made a special place in our room for Little Makoto-san," the metal girl pointed towards a spacious section of their shared room. In it, Aigis and the other girls set up an area with a crib, changing station, and a rocking chair, all in accents of the color of a peaceful, sky blue.

Fuka gave a giggle, pressing a hand to her lips. "His name is Hisato, Aigis," She reminded her friend with a wide smile. She turned her gaze to Mitsuru, who also gave a chuckle as well.

"I don't blame her," the older girl replied with a small smile. "He does look strikingly like him already…" They both turned their gaze to the newborn they spoke of in the arms of his mother. The infant payed no mind to the others in the room. All he did was curl up into his mother's arms, grasping with all his strength to her shirt. Her friends comments were on point. Little Hisato hadn't opened his eyes much, but when he did, he had his mother's light brown eyes; however, the little hair he did have atop his head was the familiar blue they haven't seen in a long time. Overall, he was, in Aigis' words, indeed Little Makoto-san.

As she slowly walked over to his corner, she stared at her newborn son. This little life in her hand was more than just a child. He was a gift, a blessing from his late father to his mother. As any other teenage girl, carrying a child as a high school student was both a physically and mentally draining job. If it wasn't for whom the boy's father was, she wouldn't have made the choice to carry full term. Of course, she was scared, frightened and, most of all, unsure, but with the support of her amazing friends, she was able to get ahold of herself and make the best decision of her life.

Once in front of the crib, she held Hisato out in front of her, watching as the newborn made noises of a small protest, kicking his little feet. Though as she lowered him into his crib, he calmed at the realization that she was here to stay.

"It was really nice of you to come visit, Mitsuru-sempai," Fuka commented to her older friend, looking up due to the slight height difference. The older girl smiled, watching as the new mother stared at her son as she gently rocked the crib. The little boy made a few more soft noises before going silent.

"Well, there was no way I could ever forgive myself if I didn't," She finally replied, closing her eyes and smiling. "Besides, school isn't going anywhere. This short moment of Hisato's new life is fleeting as we speak… Before we know it, he'll be starting his first day elementary school," She chuckled at the thought herself.

"Come on, Mitsuru-sempai…" Yukari slightly whined, but smiling wide. "He was only born a few days ago. Let me sink into the fact that I'm a mother before I start thinking about that!" Everyone had a laugh, as well as Hisato, who gave out a loud, happy shriek before settling down into a few softer sounds like before.

"Besides," Fuka started again. "Being a mother is already hard enough. Being a single mother is a whole different challenge…" She looked down at the ground, and the others took a solemn moment, thinking about their loss almost half a year past.

Aigis perked up with an honest question. "What does 'single mother' mean?" she asked her fellow females.

"It means that the mother is raising her children on her own, without a spouse or the father of said children," Fuka gladly explained, more than happy to help the mother's roommate settle in to the whole new life.

"I see…" Aigis responded, turning her head away from the others. But only for a moment because she turned right back to them, Yukari in particular. "Then I'll be Hisato-san's surrogate father for him," she declared with a clenched fist to her chest.

Fuka couldn't help but giggle and Mitsuru let a smile spread across her face. "You mean his second mother, Aigis…" Yukari chuckled, smiling as much as she was thankful.

The robot girl turned her head to the side once again. "Is that possible?" she questioned with great curiosity.

"Of course it is!" Fuka answered, her hands pressed together in front of her. "A child can have more than one mother,"

Mitsuru raised a polite hand. "How does godmother sound, Aigis?" she suggested in reasoning for a more accurate title.

"'Godmother'..." Aigis repeated the word.

"Hisato's godmother, Aigis!" Fuka cheerfully stringed the words together. "That sound wonderful! What do you say, Aigis?" She turned to the robot girl, who already had given an answer. She walked over to Hisato's crib and peered in at the infant.

"I'm Aigis," she introduced herself to mini Makoto. "I'm your godmother. Nice to meet you, Hisato-san," She touched the baby's small hand with a metal finger. Hisato flinched at first, but then relaxed his small hand around it.

The other girls gasped in awe, smiles plastered on their faces. "He has grabbed my finger," Aigis announced to the others, keeping her gaze locked on Hisato. The little boy made small gurgles and pulled her finger closer into his curled up ball. She continued to stare, as if studying everything about him by a single gaze.

Yukari let out a loud yawn, covering her mouth in politeness, then sat on the edge of her bed. "All this excitement is enough for me," she told the others, slightly slouching from drained energy. "I think I'm going to rest till morning for now," She didn't even bother to remove her clothes, since they were baggy enough to sleep in. Pulling up the covers, she slid into bed and covered herself up.

"She's right," Mitsuru responded, softly. "Even though it's been a over a week, recovering is a long road ahead of her…" They all looked at the new mother, whom was already drifting off to sleep, then to the infant boy, who too was tried from the long day, as any newborn should.

"Well, goodnight Yukari," Fuka quietly told the sleepy mother. All that was give in return was inaudible mumbles, shifting in her bed before settling back down. Her and Mitsuru left the room together, quietly closing the door behind them. Aigis was left, still staring intently at little Hisato. The little one only moved now and again, but still, was full of life, compared to his father.

"Makoto-san…" She murmured, staring at Hisato with low eyes. She may not know much about these human babies, but she felt peace when she watched her late friend's son, sleeping softly and safe, just like that day. The day he left this world behind…

She shook her head. Then smiled.

This time, it was different.


	5. Chapter 5: The New

December 5th, 2010

Afternoon

Dorm Lobby

Yukari sat in the dorm's lobby, sitting with little Hisato to her breast. The infant hardly ever gave her enough time to rest in between feedings, wanting to be fed almost every two to three hours at a time. Although she was told by the doctors that this was normal, it was exhausting and she hardly got any sleep at night because of it.

The only rewarding feeling she felt from all of it was that the doctor told her Hisato was gaining weight. At least she felt she was doing something right.

When he wasn't feeding, Yukari was doing what school work she could do, teaching herself with what notes Junpei and Aigis took for her. Although she had been offered by select teachers to give her private lessons in the evening, but she passed, not wanting to be a burden. Also because the dorm was a bit… messy from having an infant being raised in it.

Hisato pulled away and gave a small, soft burp. She pulled up her bra and shirt, then placed him in his cradle in front of her and picked up her schoolwork where she left off. She had to admit, Hisato was alike in his father in the way that he was easy to handle. Despite the constant feeding he demanded from his mother, he was calm for the most part, only crying when she got too focused on her schoolwork and hadn't held him in a while.

Evening came and so did her friends from school, loading her up with more schoolwork to do. It was always nice to have them come home at the end of the day. Even Junpei was playing the part in keeping Hisato entertained while she got some rest before dinner, which Fuka gladly cooked for everyone each night.

"Hey! what's up, little guy!" Junpei held Hisato in front of him, watching as the baby sucked his thumb. "Ready to spend time with Uncle Junpei?!" He bounced him a little and he gave a little noise of content.

"Didn't you say you had test to study for, Junpei-san?" Aigis recalled to him, sitting across from him. She too, in the past months, loved keeping Hisato content. As well as being still interested and intrigued by human babies.

"Y-Yeah, but Hisato doesn't need to know that," He grinned, chuckling a bit to himself. "He's too much like his daddy to learn from me so soon. Isn't that right, my dude?" Hisato gave a disconcerned gurgle, making little kicks as well.

"I wouldn't say _that_ so soon, Junpei-san," Fuka said from the kitchen with a soft laugh. "You'll be surprised what babies can learn at such a young age," She flipped the two slabs of chicken, letting them sizzle in the pan.

"I, myself, am deeply interested in what Hisato-san will grow up to be like... " Aigis thought outloud. Nobody else took any mind to it, just not verbally, that was. So she continued to stare at Hisato as Junpei played with him, bouncing and holding him.

…

March 31st, 2011

Morning

Dorm Lobby

"Have you decided where you're going next, Yukari?"

Mitsuru had came to visit, for whatever reason, assumably to check up on little Hisato. She and Yukari sat next to each other in the lobby of the dorm.

Cradling the six-month old infant in her arms, she stared off into the distance. "I… really don't know, Mitsuru…" She softly responded, patting Hisato's back as he quietly slept in her arms. "My mother has been anything but cooperative and refuses to help. On the other hand, I cannot afford college tuition, even if she did offer her help. Hisato has drained most of my savings I had, as well as kept me from getting a job to make some funds… I… I'm kinda lost at this point…" She tried her best not to let tears out in front of her son, to keep from waking him or rousing him up.

Mitsuru stayed silent, giving a long moment of thought before speaking again. "Do you have any other relatives to turn to?" She questioned.

"No," She immediately replied, turning her head even further away from her older friend. She really didn't have anybody else but her and the others.

"Then that's settled," Mitsuru announced, standing up from her spot. "I am going to aid you,"

Yukari was taken quite aback from her sudden declaration. "Mitsuru, I…" She started, staring up at her. "No… No, I won't. I cannot ask you for help. I'd-"

"I'm not asking, Takeba. I'm telling."

This took Yukari more by surprise, making her speechless from then on out.

"I will pay for the tuition for whichever college you wish to attend," she stated flat out, not taking any other answer from the girl. "In the meantime, you'll be living with me in my apartment in Tokyo. I will make the booking of our flight and have the Kirjio family prepare the place for your arrival. I'll have your belongs sent there ahead of us. As for you, just get all your things packed by tonight and I'll take care of the rest. You worry about yourself and Hisato," She merely gave a half waved as she walked away, pulling out her cell and making calls.

The tears from before stung her eyes and began falling down her cheeks.

"Mitsuru…" She whispered, only for her and her son to hear. After watching the older girl leave the room, she held Hisato closer to her and rubbed his head with a gentle hand. "Well, Hisato… Looks like we have our work cut out for us…" She started to softly cry, comforted by her baby's silence with a smile across her face.

…

April 5th, 2011

Afternoon

Mitsuru's Tokyo Apartment

"Home sweet home, I'd say,"

Yukari was in disbelief at the sight before her eyes.

The place lived up to the standards of someone, like Mitsuru, who grew up with money. Sure, she could have guessed it, as the entrance to the apartment building itself was quite the show alone. Right in front of her was the entryway, as elegant as one could get. Wooden floors polished enough for her to see her reflection, lights almost as bright as the city's at night, the furniture too gorgeous to even let a bag sit on. Out from the large windows could be seen the setting sun in the distance, settling over the shining city. The living room had one of those flat plasma screen TVs she'd only heard of, let alone seen. The kitchen looked straight out of a cooking show or a shopping channel and that was just the surface. The only thing that barely stood out was the semi-fancy cake and balloons on the dining table. Everything was just so shiny and… fancy.

"You… You really sure about me and Hisato living _here_?!" Yukari gawked, still having yet to seen all from where she stood. The college student took both of their bags and walked past the graduate, giving a soft chuckle.

"I won't have even booked the flight if I wasn't," She replied, satisfied with Yukari's reaction. "Come see your room!" She walked off into one of the side rooms on the other side of the kitchen. Still shocked, she walked forward in disbelief, looking around more till she stood in front of her the door to her bedroom door. In the room was a king sized bed, fit for more than even three people to slumber in, a large dresser, shown to already be filled to the brim with her clothes and then some, a TV nearly identical to the one in the living room, even a mini living area off to the side for herself and a separate area for Hisato not far from the bed as well.

"I-Is this all normal for you?!" Yukari gawked once more, looking from the decorations on the walls and floor to what she could see of her very own bathroom. Mitsuru placed her bags on her bed for her and stood back, proud.

"I guess you can say that," she replied, still chuckling at the younger girl's astonishment. Pointing towards the bathroom she mentioned the bathroom had both a tub and shower, along with a full body mirror and all the other essentials and then some. Then she finished off by taking Hisato from Yukari and placing him in his large, fancy crib with a mobile and everything. She turned back to her once more and smiled.

"Make yourself at home," Mitsuru gladly told her. "This is all yours and Hisato's,"

Tears began streaming down her face. She covered her mouth as she started to cry, a smile hidden underneath. "Oh Mitsuru… This is all so much… Thank you…!" She rushed into her friend's arms, who welcomed her with open arms, letting her sob her heart out and repeatedly thank her, again and again.

"You must be tired from the flight," Mitsuru softly laughed, pulled out from the hug once Yukari calmed. "You get situated in your new space while I order some dinner for us. Sound good?" All she could do was nod and Mitsuru left her alone in the room.

Yukari spinned around the room in awe, looking at every single detail with admiration. Her laptop was there at the desk and her books on the shelve. It was things young girls could only dream off…

Hisato snapped her out of her daze with a happy, loud gurgle. She walked on over to his crib to see him on his stomach, wiggling around. When he noticed her, he looked up into her brown eyes with his, making small sounds of content and happiness. This made her sign, a smile spreading across her face.

"So many people love you, just like they did your father, Hisato…" She quietly spoke to him, leaning down to look at him. All he did was continue to look up at her and make noises and smile. She couldn't help but smile back, watching as he, too, was curious about his new surroundings. But then that became a past interest and he soon reached a small hand up to his mother. Without hesitation, she placed her finger in his hand and watched as he wrapped his tiny fingers around it, holding on as if she were to leave him.

"You'll live a blessed life… I promise…"


	6. Chapter 6: The Assurance

For that year, Yukari was able to barely squeeze into a local university to start her college education. Every class, she brought little Hisato along, since she didn't trust a babysitter with him. For the most part, he was well-behaved, hardly ever making a ruckus. The only times she had to walk out was to feed and change him, and that was it. He slept around the clock, seeming calmed by the voices of her professors and classmates.

For a while, she had no clue what she wanted to major in. It wasn't until her second year that she decided to go for a masters in Accounting, something simple and enough to support herself in the years after. For the most part, school was the one of easiest parts for her. The hardest for her was parenting. Watching Hisato grow before her eyes was a miracle. When she got her Associates, he was two years old, nearing three. At this age, he was starting to blossom into something so familiar to her and the others.

September 25th, 2015

Noon

University Courtyard

"Is Hisato hungry?"

"Yes, Mama," the little boy nodded his head. He held out his open hands and Yukari place a small slice of bread into it. As she pulled out her own lunch, he bit off a piece and began to eat. She opened and began to eat her salad, keeping an eye on her son as he ate.

"Thank you," He said once he swallowed, the bit into the bread once more.

She chuckled, watching him eat in the most polite way she'd ever seen a three-year old eat. He turned his gaze to her, which was as wide and curious as it had been when they first opened to the world.

Lunchtime was always like this. She had always made sure to schedule her lectures so she had enough time to eat and spend time with Hisato. And each time, he would be polite in waiting for his food and say his thank yous. Then after lunch, she would watch him play with his toys he brought with her for him and then he'd run around a bit before they packed up and went to her next class.

But this day was different.

As she packed up their belongings, a fellow classmate approached them.

"Miss Takeba, is it?"

She looked up and saw a young male, around the same age and education level as she was. He had dark hair and a bit of an average joe feel about it, but he wore a blazer that was slightly too large for him.

"Uh yes, that's me," Yukari responded to the stranger, standing up, as well as Hisato. "And you might be…?"

"Yamamoto Haruto," He told her and held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you,"

She cautiously shook his hand, taking a hold of Hisato's in her free hand. "Should I… know you?" She raised an eyebrow, searching his face for a memory, but to now avail.

"No," Haruto replied releasing her hand. "I'm Yuki's cousin. I only ever heard of you when I was in Iwatodai on vacation and ran into him. He briefly mentioned you when he was leaving,"

"Oh…" She trailed off, looking away from his gaze.

"I'd like to talk about him with you and…" He turned his own gaze to Hisato's, indirectly asking who the child was.

"This is Hisato… Makoto and I's… son," She trailed off once again, not wanting to make eye contact with this awfully weird stranger. "Say hello, Hisato,"

"Hello, sir…" He hid behind his mother's leg, feeling the same about him as she did.

"Oh?" Haruto inquired. "So where's Yuki then?"

Yukari went silent. Hisato looked up at his mother with wide eyes.

"He… um…" She didn't know where to start. Not with Hisato around. "Could we go somewhere else to talk? He…"

"No worries," Haruto cut her off. "We can head over to the lounge, if that's alright with you,"

…

"So," the fellow classmate sat down across from her in the lounge, Hisato now in a children's area with assured adult supervision. "Where is Yuki?"

Yukari fidgeted. Her and the rest of SEES didn't go over what would they say and do if Makoto's acquaintances asked of him. She certainly couldn't tell about the Dark Hour or Nyx or any of that.

"He… passed away, back in the spring of 2010…" She quietly told Haruto, looking into her lap. "He had… some health problems that grew fatal and he went in his sleep…"

The classmate gave a sympathetic gaze before looking away. "I'm… so sorry to hear that… and to reopen any wounds... " He fumbled his fingers and bit his bottom lip. "How… did Hisato come to be then?"

More things about the Fall and SEES she couldn't say. She couldn't tell him that she did it just in case they didn't survive. But she did and he didn't and she was left a child.

"We were dating up to his death and a few months before he passed, we had unprotected sex for whatever stupid reasons…" She still had a hard time meeting his eyes, especially over the topic of sex. Sex out of all of the things…

"I see…" He was silent for a moment, looking at Hisato from across the room. "Have you been able to move on?"

"Yes… and no," She softly added to the end. "Around the time he passed and I found out I was expecting, I had moved on fairly well and since then, I have. But… not enough to start another relationship. Not with a child to raise and give all my attention to…" She too looked over at Hisato, who was doing fairly well this far from his mother for one of the first few times she let him off to play on his own while she study.

"That's good," He replied, both in deep thought. "For being a single mother, you got the right mindset. Children first, then yourself… It's what every parent should be like,"

His words struck deep in her heart. She started to think about her mother back at home, then her own father, whom she lost what seemed like ages ago, but only fifteen years back. After learning about Makoto's loss of his parents of the same year she lost her father, she thought about how lucky she was compared to him and she tried to cherish her mother a bit more, but her mother refused, doing the opposite of what a mother should do in the situation they were in. Overall, she was kinda glad her mother was that way. It taught her how not to be after the loss of a lover and how not to treat your child.

"He looks strikingly like his father,"

Haruto's voice snapped her out of her daze, which brought her gaze onto her son, who had noticed they were staring and was staring back. The only time she really had noticed the similarities was when he was born, but now that is was mentioned, the blue hair that was just barely past his ears was exactly the same shade she remembered, but the rest, she had no clue what to put it against.

"I grew up with Yuki," Haruto continued, turning his gaze back to her. "Well, we visited each other now and again due to our mothers being strongly bonded sisters. So I see a lot of younger him in your son. But… after that incident back in 1999… I never really saw him again till I saw him in Iwatodai. That time… I hardly believed it was him… He changed a lot since we were kids,"

"He was different back then…?" It was now Yukari's turn to be intrigued.

"Almost completely," He continued. "He was still polite and understanding when I met him again, but the rest was… not him… He was always happy to see his friends, smiling and asking all about the time lost. That time, he just looked at me with a little shock and nothing more,"

The two of them went silent after that, looking around at anything but each other.

"I'm sure if you keep doing what you're doing, things will be different with Hisato,"

Yukari turned back over to her son, who was starting to walk on over. His face wasn't yet matured farther from when he was an infant, but she could already begin to tell where Makoto played into his looks. His thin eyebrows and his slightly round face was the most she could tell for now. In the meantime, she couldn't wait to see him grow even more.

Haruto stood up and Hisato approached. As Yukari stood, he pulled out his wallet and handed her a photo.

"I'm so glad to have ran into you today," He said, giving a small smile. "I had this with me to give you when we met. Keep it for safekeeping. I'm sure it'll help this little guy and you out," He ruffled Hisato's blue hair, who took not much mind to it, fixing his hair after the man's head left his head.

"Thank you so much, Haruto," She smiled wide, her heart a little more at peace.

As she watched him off, she looked at the picture again. In it was younger Makoto, in a elementary uniform and an unlikely smile on his face.

"Mama?" Hisato grabbed her free hand, only slightly pulling at it. "Who is 'Yuki'"?

She closed her eyes and smiled, then looked down at him. "I'll tell you when you're older, okay?"

…

Apartment Room

Late Night

She placed her photo from Haruto next to her few others of Makoto. The ones she did have was their group photo from the night after the twelfth shadow with the rest of SEES, a picture they took together in a photo booth, and his school ID that took before his funeral. Stepping back, she looked at the display of hers, atop her dresser where Hisato was too short to see yet.

She took notice his Evoker next to it all, along with his SEES band and his music player. Aigis had given his Evoker to her around the time senior year was drawing to a close, telling her that it was an early gift to Hisato for when he was older and understood where his father really was. The other two items were what nobody thought were of much importance, but to her, was all she had left of him. The music player had to be dead, since it hadn't been used in almost five years, but she treasured it for more than just use.

She turned towards Hisato. He laid, curled up and fast asleep in his crib. The thought of sleep clung onto her. But her conversation with Haruto today pulled the other way, towards the photos. She stared into the one of her and him, her smiling and him straight-faced. She always wondered if he felt the same about her as she did for him, unfortunately, she never got a true answer. She knew she was something to him, but she never heard those words that every girl dreamed of hearing leave his lips. But words were never really his thing, from what she knew and remembered of him. He only talked when asked a question and never really on his own. She guessed the reason why she never did hear those words was because she never asked. It wasn't something people usually asked, unless uncertain about the relationship. Which that meant…

"I knew… Even though you never came out and said it, I knew... " She began to softly say, not making eye contact with the photos. "I wasn't like the others to you. I was someone else, someone worth letting get intimate with… But despite knowing that, I was still uncertain whether it was true or not… But now…"

She looked back up to the photos, making specific eye contact with his ID photo.

"Now that I look at our son… How much he really is like you… and how much he loves his mother…" Tears began to form in her eyes, but she kept smiling. "I know you were telling me some other way that you did love me… I was just hoping for it to scream out at me, unlike the rest of your actions…" She wiped her tears on her sleeve and sniffled, but the tears still came.

"Now all that there's for me to do is be there for him," She continued, choking on her tears. "And I'm alright with that… Knowing that your love for me allowed you to give me a parting gift in such a beautiful form that is life… I'm more than thankful… I am honored... "

"And I hope… that one day…" The tears starting coming down. "Maybe one day… he'll be able to see his father's face in some form or another... I really hope for that… But I hope that I can be the mother that you needed after that day for him… No…"

She shook her head and let the tears come streaming down.

"I promise… I will be there for Hisato… No matter what happens…"

Through all her tears, she smiled the widest she had in awhile…


	7. Chapter 7: The Now

Even though only a few years had passed since, it felt like it was only a few months before Hisato has turned six. He was a little bummed to not go to school that spring, but when he found out that meant more time with mother and her classes, he was more than satisfied to patiently wait till April came along the following year.

I was a time of many challenges. As Hisato was getting ready for his first year at elementary school, Yukari was finishing up her final year of university to get her Masters that spring. Even though she wished she had more time till she she saw her little boy off, it was every mother like her that year who were doing the same thing.

Even though Mitsuru had told them several times that they were welcome to stay as long as they like, Yukari felt six years was wearing out her welcome. So before getting Hisato signed up for elementary school, she scouted out places for them to go to. They could go almost anywhere, even out of the country, but she wanted Hisato to be raised a little closer to home. So she found some places that were close to Iwatodai and settled on a nice small, yet fully equipped town miles away from there. The local elementary school was rated one of the best in the nation and the price of single family homes were within her budget. After weeks of research, up to her graduation, she had arranged to see some homes with real estate agents, applied Hisato to the elementary school, and even sent her resume to local accounting companies.

As graduation day, came and went, everything was packed into the moving truck and it was time to say their goodbyes to Mitsuru. She could never thank her enough for the support for those past six years and even for helping her move out then. When she made a silly promise to pay her back, Mitsuru just laughed and waved it off, telling her it was a long-waited thank you for everything she had done for her years back. With the moving truck sent off toward their destination, Mitsuru took them to the airport and gave their final goodbyes and watched and waved them farewell as they went through security.

…

The town was in between being and city and being a small town. There were many shops of many kinds, both locally owned and large companies, but they were a nice distance away from the neighborhood, where the elementary school was at the edge of. It the perfect size in Yukari's mind for raising her son.

The real estate agent visited with them the day after they arrived, showing them many homes. A lot of them weren't what Yukari had hoped for until the very last one they showed her. It was a home with a room for her and a room for the growing Hisato, along with a beautiful backyard, close to the school, and with enough room to grow into. It was perfect.

They stayed in a hotel for a week as they waited for the contract to be signed and their belongings to come in from Tokyo. Once that had arrived, the movers moved all the furniture in, including the ridiculously fancy furniture from Mitsuru's. What she didn't know was that Mitsuru gifted Hisato furniture for him to grow into: a bed, a dresser, and a few new toys as well. She called Mitsuru to thank her, but all she did was laugh and say that was the last of the surprises and that she would remain there for her if she needed help.

School started in a few days, so they went into town together and bought his uniform, along with some new clothes, since he was nearly growing out his others already. Hisato grew to be a rather lanky boy, compared to the other kids his age. But had proven to have a trick or two up his sleeve when it came to his physical strength. He was able to pick up things that, normally, a kid his age would hurt himself trying to. Although she remained cautious over it, the extra help around the house made settling into their new life a lot easier.

Tearful exchanges were made on the first day of school as she said goodbye to him before he joined his fellow classmates inside. She was able to meet many mothers, both younger and older than her and both new and experienced. Some made her feel ashamed of being a younger mother, but most of them were welcoming. They invited her to lunch, playtimes with the kids, and just general mom things she never experienced at the university. Having friends from the get-go was nice, but she worried deeply about Hisato and him making friends. But when she came to pick him up that afternoon, her worries were quelled as he waved goodbye to his new friends.

He was a good student, a model student to the rest of his class, his teachers told her. She was asked by many if she'd taught him before hand, but shocked them when she told them that's how he grew. He had always been such a friendly boy, hardly ever making a ruckus or showing much of his age. He was also enjoying school a lot, talking to his mother about all that he learned that day and very excited to return the next day.

Yukari got a job at a local firm, working as an accountant. Everything was going smoothly. She finally felt accomplished, being able to support her son and teach him the way her mother did before her own father's death. Being a single mother was hard, but there was never a moment where she regretted anything. Though as Hisato grew, his curiosity grew to match it, asking questions about her childhood and how old was she when she first did this or that, but one evening, she had not been prepared for what her seven year old asked her…

November 16th, 2019

Afternoon

Takeba Residence

Yukari was going through her work, looking at her client's finances and records. Hisato had finished his homework early and entered the room in which was the study, where she was.

"Mama?"

She looked up and met eyes with her son. "Yes, Hisato? What is it?" She put her current stack of papers to the side and picked up another and began skimming them.

"All of my classmates talk about their parents, but I only have a mama… Where's Papa?"

The words froze her solid. She didn't think this day would come so soon.

She set aside her papers and stood up from her desk, walking towards him. Taking ahold of his hand, she walked him into her bedroom and sat him on the foot of her bed. Taking a photo off her dresser, she slowly turned to him, emotions bursting from all her seams. Then she sat down next to him and put an arm around him.

"When I was in my last year of high school, I was blessed with you as the best gift I ever wished for," She began, trying to hold back. "However, your… your father was taken away from us before you were born…"

Hisato looked at her with curious eyes and she began to tear up a little.

"Your father… died the beginning of his third year of high school…"

She expected her son to cry, but instead, he just slumped.

"Oh... " he quietly said, looking down at his feet. She grimaced, but stood up and retrieved Makoto's Evoker from the dresser, along with his SEES band, and sat back down. Handing his ID to him, she collected her thoughts.

"That was your father's second year school ID," She explained softly. "He was in the same class as me and our friend, Junpei. We met the beginning of that year, under some very odd chances…"

"'Odd'?" he repeated, still gazing into his father's picture.

She looked up towards the other pictures remaining on her dresser. "Your father was special…" She continued in a low voice. "At that time, for the past ten years, a strange thing occurred every night between one day and the next called the Dark Hour... I and only Mitsuru and Akihiko had been working to eliminate it before your father came along. What he had inside him changed the course of the world's fate and before we knew it… we were faced with death itself…"

Hisato seemed surprised, but not scared in any way, so she continued by presenting the Evoker to him from the view of her hands. "We had these special powers called 'Personas' that we could call by using this," She explained. "But this isn't a real gun and no other type of guns do what this does. Only this one…" She told him, closely staring at him, checking his expression and body language. Good. He seemed to understand.

"And with this power that only a few people had, could a Persona be called, but your father… he could call many…" She turned her gaze back to the remaining photos on her dresser. "Something about a power of a wild card… I never understood it. But whatever it was, your father was able to save the whole world… He performed a miracle…" She found herself staring at his Evoker in her hands once more, slowly stroking it with the tips of her fingers. Memories came flashing back to the time he had used hers to summon his Persona, then all the other times after when he summoned others, and then… When he threw his Evoker down as he went up…

"Mama…?"

Tears streamed down her cheeks, all own their own. Wiping her cheek with the back of wrist and sniffling, she tried to stop them but they had a mind of their own.

"D-Don't worry, Hisato…" She gave a weak laugh, trying her best to crack the slightest of a smile. "All those b-bad things from then are gone now… Thanks to your…" But the smile soon fell and faded into nothing, leaving only the taste of tears as they fell onto her lips. The young boy sat there, watching his mother's body shudder and shake as she broke down before his very eyes. The grieving she thought she let go of years ago came all back at once, overflowing like a boiling pot on the stove for too long. Her past lover's face flashed in her mind, his frowns, his rare smiles, his body disappearing in the distance, floating, then walking away from her, all at once.

This was an unusual face for his mother. Before this moment, her face was always smiling and her eyes shining bright as the morning sun. Now, her image was hard to see in light of the setting sun, the coming darkness shrouding over and engulfing her whole. New emotions stampeded into his mind, overflowing his consciousness to the brink of his control.

Hisato grasped and clutched onto the sleeve of her sweater, tugging at it, as if to pull her back. His own tears began to stream down his cheeks, his wails joining his mother's as his father's ID fell from his lap.

Eventually, her son's bawling could be heard from over her own and she turned her head to inspect. He continued to tug at the yarn, stretching out the shape and form of her sleeve. His eyes were closed as he wailed, reminiscent of his newborn face from years ago. Wiping her own tears, she realized. Many things, she realized at that moment. Why she was still here and not anywhere else. Why she was here while Makoto at the end of the world for eternity. Why she even saw her school days to end. All of it… was sitting right before her once again, just like those few years ago.

She stretched her arm over and around his shaking shoulders and took ahold of tugging wrist. His brown eyes revealed themselves to her, tears slowing to a trickle as he laid his eyes on her familiar smiling face.

"I told you… do not worry" Running her fingers through his blue hair, she pulled his gaze further up. "Everything is alright… Everything will be alright…" She pulled her son into her chest, holding his head with both her hands. His crying came close to ceasing as the minutes past, then he lifted his head back up to her.

"You… won't leave me… right, Mama?"

She was taken aback at first, but her answer was clear and soothed her.

"Of course not…" She muttered into his small ears, barely visible through his hair. "I won't ever leave you. Not in a million years..." Her heart calmed into a ocean of contentment as he let out a whimper of affirmation into her sweater. As they sat there, she stayed with him a while longer, rocking him back and forth in the safety of her brace.

"I want you to keep your father in your thoughts, okay?" He looked up into his mother's eyes after her words and gave a solid nod.

"I promise," Assuring his words with one of his inherited smiles. "After all, he saved the whole wide world! How could I ever forget a brave hero like him!" Her smile received a toothy grin with a giggle in response. Laying his head back in his mother's arms, he embraced her, wrapping his arms around her torso as much as his small arms let him.

"If only your father could see you now…" She whispered under her breath, stroking his soft, loved blue hair. Her eyes pulled her towards the window and out to the nearly dark sky, the brightness of the stars already making their way to Earth. Through the eyes of others, it was the universe staring back at them. But for her, the one who brought upon the future of the world could be seen among them, keeping them safe for as long as humanity flourished...

She didn't ever have to say goodbye. He will always be there. Up there for all to see.


	8. Chapter 8: The Remembering

After finally telling Hisato about his father, she felt an immense amount of weight leave her chest. It made talking about Makoto to him a lot easier, able to say things about him instead of pretending he never existed and she was just a virgin Mary. Hisato became a bit more understanding when his mother was reclusive and out of it at times. Now knowing why made it a lot clearer for him to give his mother space.

She didn't want it to be like this. But she couldn't keep it from him forever. It may have felt a little early to tell, but now, seeing how Hisato was after that conversation, he seemed a little more open. He talked a bit more to her and grew more sociable than when they first moved into town. It was hard to tell if it was just him settling in or hearing of his father let his true self show now knowing why he was here on Earth. Hisato had a lot of smiles, ones that Yukari thought she'd never see again in her life. She thought she'd lost those, alongside hope, for the rest of her days until she lay in her end. But waking each morning to them helped her along till the day they could meet their maker.

It had felt like forever since she ever talked about those past days, when their lives was all they had to their names. She couldn't ever say she missed the Shadows and the ever-living fear of death itself, but she did miss the days when he was alive and everyone was one big family because of him. It all felt like a dream. She felt immensely thankful of him for making it that way. But she wished the dream lived on and the nightmare was the only thing to leave. Afterall, those dreams were all there was left of him. Thinking of him brought along the weight of those days of fighting for the souls of themselves and the whole world. And then, the final times she held an Evoker to her head and a magic key that was her final chance to lay her eyes on him…

December 26th, 2017

Takeba Residence

Noon

"Come on, Mama! Let's go!"

The mother let out a chuckle as her son hopped up and down at the back door. Dressed from head to toe in winter gear, Hisato was bundled up and ready to head out without her.

"Give me a minute," she tried to not laugh at her little marshmallow, but a snicker let itself out. Pulling her gloves on and tugging them down just in case, she watched as he opened the door, his excitement not waiting any longer. He ran out into their backyard, leaving her rushing to catch up before anything awful happened, but still took time to close the sliding door behind her.

His ecstatic laughs filled the atmosphere as he let the snow crunch under his quick feet. Liking the sound, he halted and stomped in place, just to hear the sound. It soon compacted below, making him move to another spot to continue. Yukari took the chance to watch him in his smiles and giggles.

Hisato turned to her, waving his arms at his mother. "Let's build a snowman, Mama!" Before letting her answer his question, he bent down, picked up snow and began to roll into a ball on the ground. His eyes glowed with the wonder as the farther he rolled it, the bigger it got. Yukari got onto her knees and began to do the same, preparing to make the very bottom. They circled the yard, passing by each other. Each time they passed, he gave his mother a big grin. Within the passing of 20 minutes, she had made the base and he'd finished the middle.

"Okay, help me get yours on top of mine," Yukari and Hisato lifted his massed ball, with the mother doing most of the lifting, and carefully placed it on top. Once they stood back to see, he clapped with joy.

"I'm gonna start the head now!" Hisato ran off to the other side of the yard that had snow untouched and began to roll. Yukari stayed behind, watching as he enjoyed himself. It was almost hard to believe that, even at this age, this was his son. Sure, what her college classmate told her was believable, but since she never experienced it with her own eyes, she had a hard time seeing it. Makoto being as energetic as this boy when he was that age was… strange to her…

"Mama,"

Yukari looked up from her thoughts and over to her son across the backyard. He was looking in the direction of the street. Then he turned his head to her and pointed.

"I think there is someone at the door," he concluded to her.

This took her into a bit of confusion, till she then heard…

"Hey, Yuka-tan? You back there?" A familiar voice rang from that direction.

Is that…?

"Junpei…?" She called back, curious to see if he knew they were outside. Footsteps in the snow could be heard after, lightly in a gentle pursuit. Moments later, a… somewhat familiar face popped out, along with another not far behind.

"There you are!" Junpei's voice rang out, a smile spreading across his stubbly cheeks. Now certain, he rushed, as fast as the snow would let it him, over to her. The other person behind, who could now be seen holding a small child, came dragging along, a bit uncertain. As he approached, she could clearly see it was still good 'ol Junpei. Except since they last seen of one another five years back in Inaba, he had grown a bit more facial hair, surpassing what was on his chin. His hair was still longer than from their days in Iwatodai, but now more tamed and yes, still covered by a baseball cap. Along with that, his clothes looked more of a dotting, suburban dad than she'd ever thought he would. Speaking of dad… that child in the other person's arms…

"I didn't expect to see you anytime soon," Yukari replied with a smile, Hisato now joining the rest of them beside his mother. "And I'm more surprised to see you, Chidori," She turned to face the girl of nearly the same appearance from back in the day. This time, her long, red hair was braided and tied together with white ribbons, but still bared a bit of a similar hair band to hers from before. She still wore quite the flowy dress, but now more plain with simple laces and a bit of embroidery. How could she not be cold in it? And in her arms…

"Do I… know you?" Chidori took in responding in a bit of an unintentional bitter tone, looking closely at Yukari.

"This is Yukari Takeba," Junpei took the initiative in telling her. "She's one of my close friends from back in high school. You met her before you lost your memories, so that's how she knows you,"

A bit of a calmer look rested onto her face, along with a bit of a smile. "I see…" But she was a bit apprehensive. Junpei took the attention off of her and to Hisato's curiousity on the ground.

"It's good to see you little guy!" He knelt down in front of the boy and gave him a warm smile and wave. "You probably don't remember me, but I took care of you for your mother when you were just a little bundle of joy. I'm Junpei Iori," he held out his large hand to take Hisato's small one.

Without hesitation, her son took Junpei's hand and gave it a courteous shake. "Nice to meet you again, Mr. Iori," Hisato said with a small smile in return.

Junpei gave a bellowing laugh. "No need for formalities," He took his hand and ruffled Hisato's blue hair. "Call me Uncle Junpei," Hisato gave him a quizzical look, but gave a nod anyways.

"Junpei…" Yukari miffed, but still managed to let a smile break, as he stood up.

"You're not the only one with a cute kid anymore, Yuka-tan," Junpei ignored her remark, grinning as he lifted his left hand. "After Chidori remembered me, we got hitched and soon we had this little bundle of joy…" He turned to Chidori and she carefully handed the small blanketed bundle to him. Once securely in his grasp, he turned back to Yukari, getting close to show the small being inside the blankets.

"Neoma's her name," He said with fondness, a new kind of smile spreading. Neoma had a bit of hair atop her head, which could be seen as from her mother, while her eyes were her father's. She squirmed a bit in his arms, seeming a bit overwhelmed. "She was born almost a year ago now… Seems like times gone by so fast since then," To Yukari, it seemed he was more focused on Neoma than her.

She had thought about this before. How the existence of the Dark Hour and S.E.E.S. was fate for most of them. If it wasn't for them, Junpei and Chidori wouldn't have met-and neither would Makoto and herself. It was hard to imagine how things would have played out if things didn't go the way they did. They probably wouldn't even be here, for starters. A lot of things would really have been different. No fighting. No death. A lot of people would be still here if it wasn't for the acts of their seniors. For example, her father wouldn't be…

"Yo…. Earth to Yuka-tan…?"

Snapping out of thoughts, she could first see Chidori holding Neoma in the distance as she watched Hisato show off what they had made of their snowman so far. As soon as she looked at Junpei, he resumed talking, but this time in a low, uneasy voice.

"We- I'm thinking of moving us back into Iwatodai, but…" He looked over to his wife, taking a good long stare before turning back. "A lot of bad things happened there… My father is still there too… It's just…" He rubbed the back of his neck, looking at his wife once more. He seemed a bit withdrawn, his face giving a gateway into how he felt inside. Biting his lip, he turned his gaze back to Yukari.

"I guess I don't want any of those things to be re-lived," He looked around, eye wandering. "But at the same time… I feel such strong feelings towards the place. Do you know what I'm getting at here?"

It was her turn to bite her bottom lip. "Yes…" She managed to mutter her response. "I guess that's why we're around the area... " She too looked over to her loved one, playing in the snow as Junpei's wife watched with a magical wonder. Between her family and Junpei's half of them were innocent to all the bad things from then, while her and Junpei knew all about it. Oh, how she now wished that she never knew of those bad things. To be reborn into a better life…

"What wonders one dead man can do to the people he left behind," His words echoed a somber feeling in her heart, and most likely his own as well. For her, they were more relatable. Makoto's son was her son and all she had left of him beyond his belongings. Just as they did, the remnants of his soul left many lingering emotions. It was all on them to do something with them…

Junpei shifted his hands in his pockets and cleared his throat. "We might follow your lead and move in nearby," He brought the conversation back to a lighter topic. "It seems to be doing well for you. Having a little more old company around wouldn't bother you, will it?" Soon, he was a little back to his old self, giving a short wink accompanied with a cheeky smile.

Yukari couldn't help but give a short laugh and smile back. "No, I wouldn't mind at all," she looked over to Hisato, who was now approaching with Chidori. "I think I'd be nice to have an old friend around. There's a lot to catch up on and talk about," Hisato gave her a big grin when he stood before her.

"Thought I'd never hear you say anything that nice to me," Junpei teased, elbowing her in a playful manner. "Well, once we settle in, I'll take you up on that suggestion, Yuka-tan!" He gave yet another toothy grin, smirking all the way.

"Can't wait till then, Junpei,"


	9. Chapter 9: The Thought

By spring the following year, Junpei and Chidori moved into the neighborhood. Neoma's first birthday came and went and Hisato started the second grade. And while the little girl grew, her older "cousin" grew along with. Every birthday meant keeping track of heights on the wall or hearing first words from Neoma. Yukari started to see the two families grow and weave into one another. Even Chidori grew close to her, becoming one of her first friends in the neighborhood. All something she thought she'd never see happen. Heck, even her and Junpei were getting along like nothing was a secret between just them.

Things were changing fast. Almost too fast for Yukari to enjoy them. Day in and day out, life looked and seemed to be normal. Nothing much to fear besides dreaded adult tasks and responsibilities. Not anything like back in the day. God, did thinking like that make her feel old…

In fact, she felt herself enjoying life for once. With just her and her son, life was easier and better on the two of them. She made a good amount of money to keep things afloat and treat themselves once in awhile. Just the unknown future awaited them…

But… As Hisato's tenth birthday came and went, she felt a bit on edge…

…

January 31st, 2021

Takeba Residence

Evening

…

"Over 10 years now…"

Sitting at the edge of her bed, Yukari held her old Evoker in her hands. For whatever reason, she felt the need to take a look at it. Its shine was dulled from being covered in dust for so many years. The grooves from this and that still remained, nonetheless. Back then, it was a symbol of strength. Now, looking at it, it was a weakness. A shaded memory of the past...

Tracing a finger over it, staring at her vague reflection in its surface, she hardly noticed Hisato approached.

"What are you thinking about, Mom?"

Her attention was fully caught and her head jerked up to look at him. Being ten years old now meant he was taller and more mature, having gone from Mama to Mom. Also, his hair was much longer now, starting to look almost strikingly like his father. His light brown eyes could be seen from under his blue locks.

She let a small, amused laugh slip from her lips and touched his hair, letting it slide between her fingers. "You need a haircut, mister," She murmured as she let the locks fall from her grasp.

"That's not what I asked you,"

His slightly correcting response caught her a bit off guard. He wasn't acting out one bit, however. He was looking at her with a lowered brow, the corners of his mouth not raised as much as usual.

She turned her gaze back down to her lap. Moving her Evoker, she let the bedroom light shine off of it and onto the wall. What she was exactly thinking about still wasn't something she could tell him yet. That day, at the top of Tartarus… It wasn't even something any human should have to know about. But her she was, along with her friends far and wide.

Letting out a shy, she forced a smile. "I can't tell you just yet," she admitted, a bit in defeat. "But one day, I will," She put her hand atop his head and ran her fingers through his blue locks. His gaze turned from concern to showing a happy gleam in his eyes.

Taking his gaze from her, he put it upon her Evoker. "Will that be when I get one of these of my very own?" He pointed a finger at it from where he sat, his eyes full of wonder.

That's when she was the one to act on a strong influence. The first time a hard smack had ever been used on him.

Once it had been done and she realized, she covered her mouth. He touched his hand to his face and let tears stream out. Tears streamed down her face as well.

"I… I'm so sorry, Hisato…!" She started to sob into her hands. "You didn't deserve that! I just…!" She collapsed into a ball, curled into herself. She awaited the consequence. Her son to yell hateful words at her. For him to run away and hide.

But he simply stopped crying.

"Mom…" Removing his hand from his face, he placed it on her lap, void of the Evoker. "I'm sorry…"

"D-Don't be…" She sniffled, her hands still upon her face. "It's just… This isn't something I want you to spend your childhood thinking about…" She uncovered her face and looked at him. A few stray tears fell down, her frown remaining.

"I don't want you having to go through what your father and I did…" She continued on. "It was not something I would want you getting into… I want you to live a normal life and leave the scary stuff to my school friends and I… Please…" She pulled his hand into hers, grasping with all her might.

His brown eyes were curious. He stared at her, his mouth gaping a bit in curiosity. "Then I won't, Mom," he whispered into the atmosphere. "I promise…" He leaned into her arms and she pulled him into a tight hug.

"Thank you…"

…

March 1st, 2021

Afternoon

Downtown

…

The soft, gentle ring of a door rang in her ears as she left work for the day. Making sure she had all she needed, she headed for the parking lot, key in hand. It wasn't a far walk nor was it a dangerous place to be, but she kept her thumb on the panic button.

As soon as she got to her car, she pressed to unlock, the car emitting a honk of confirmation.

"Heading home?"

She immediately pressed the car locked and looked around her, her light brown locks bouncing as she whipped her head around. Her finger was now back at the panic button.

"Don't you remember me at all? How rude of you…"

Finding the source of the voice, her eyes laid on a figure sitting on a window sill. A woman of pale complexion, silver hair and golden eyes. Along with a stand-outish velvet blue dress, boots, hats and gloves. Her lips were in a sly, but friendly smile.

With impressive skill, she hopped down from her seat and walked over to Yukari. Her hands were spread open and arms straight and behind her. The wide-eyed gaze she gave made Yukari step back a bit.

"It's that time of year again," The odd lady, by the name of Elizabeth, brought to her attention. "On top of that, his mini-self is getting close to the age of him when he first got involved," She gave Yukari a bit of space, but not much.

Yukari turned her gaze back to her car and unlocked it again. Even though she was about to get in her car, Elizabeth continued to pester.

"You're thinking about that too, aren't you?" She raised the question. "You're worried that the day he may become involved will be drawing close?" This caused Yukari to get back out of her car, just as she was about to close the driver door.

"How do you know all this?" She grilled, starring Elizabeth dead in the eye.

"I'm still serving a large purpose in his destiny," The velvet lady explained. "That big monster created from humans like you is something I have a chore in destroying, you know," This was the first time anyone, even the S.E.E.S members, has directly mentioned a Shadow and the situation itself.

Yukari let out a deep sigh. "Could we maybe talk somewhere else about this?" She pleaded, shoulders a bit slumped.

"If that means I get to ride in this magnificent metal machine, then of course!"

…

Town Park

…

"So, aren't I right about your distress?"

The two of them sat on one of the many park benches. Although this one was the most secluded one from the rest, young children could be heard playing at the nearby playground. The little people had been a great interest to Elizabeth when they first entered, but now they were settled.

Another countless sigh escaped Yukari. "I guess you can say that…" She looked over at the garden of flowers, soon to bloom. "He asked about having a Persona and… It's had me on edge since…"

Elizabeth raised a silver eyebrow at her, hands holding onto the edge of the bench. "Why is that?" she questioned, looking into the side of Yukari's head.

Yukari turned her head to face the woman. "What do you mean?!" She slightly hissed. "Do you not remember how dangerous the Dark Hour and the Shadows were to us?! How could I want something like that for my son…?" Her eyebrow twitched and her lips frowned.

"It's not something you can decide," Elizabeth mentioned. "I've known since Iwatodai that the boy would be more like his father in ways one cannot see. In fact, it's almost as if they are nearly identical entities…" She moved her hands into her lap, seemingly more convincing now.

The words swam through Yukari's mind. "What… do you mean…?" She inquired, a look of disbelief upon her face.

"What I'm saying is that he may not an ordinary child," Elizabeth explained, straightening her stature. "Almost like his father, he has something special about him… Except instead of receiving that something special at a young age, he was born with it…"

Yukari shot up from her spot and turned to her, looking down at the woman. "You mean to tell me that he's got Death inside of him?!" Her voice croaked, but she remained strong-willed, her fists clenched.

"Lucky for you, no," Elizabeth's words sat Yukari back down. "If he had been conceived before Death left his father, that would be true… Then Death would have most likely been transferred to him and the Fall would have been delayed... What I meant was that he has similar powers…"

Now it was time for Elizabeth to stand up. "If his son were to be raised into the use of those powers, maybe… Just maybe…" She thought aloud, then shook her head, her silver bob shifting. "All I can say is that you should consider his potential… You never know if the world may need someone like his father again... "

And with that, she walked off without another word.

Yukari didn't bother to get up and go after her. She had no right to protest. Like the rest of S.E.E.S., she was just an ordinary Persona user. Hell, she didn't even know if her Persona was still hers. Something that she never bothered to think about either. Not since she declined Mitsuru's offer into the Shadow Operatives.

This was some food for thought…


	10. Chapter 10: The Crestfallen

Back then, times were indeed frightening and troubling. But despite that, it was her that approached Mitsuru about joining S.E.E.S., not the other way around. She was so desperate to find out more of her father's death from her family that she never deeply considered what she was up against. And even with that kind of motivation, she was still fearing the thought of fighting these monsters. Using an Evoker was so much like choosing death, choosing to fight the unknown. It wasn't until Makoto came along that she really felt a strange sense of a true motive…

Although she was frightened of him the night he first arrived, she felt something vague towards him. He wasn't like Junpei or her other male classmates, whom would pester her and flirt. Makoto was just-there. He pretty much minded his own business. It was something she didn't really expect, but didn't know what else she should. She was just left to be surprised by it.

That night, she went to sleep like nothing changed. She was still a second-year and still couldn't summon her Persona. Though the next morning provided and proved otherwise. On the metro to Gekkoukan, Makoto minded his own business, as suspected, listening to his music and staring into the outside world. Just like the night before, he was silent, nothing to say to her. Despite that, his calm, opaque nature immensely affected her outlook. Thankfully, he was too zoned out to catch her eyes on him.

That moment led up to her feeling something different. On the rooftop of the dorm nights later, she tried to set aside her fears and protect him. But upon figuring out he was more than capable of protecting himself, along with her, that left her with only one thing: to repay him every time.

Even without his request, she took it upon herself to heal his wounds. Usually it was only possible if he was staying in one spot, but she noticed he never cared to say behind for her aid. So that's when she held him back before letting him move onward. He wasn't a push-over, of course, but he let her do it anyways, not seeming to care for it much. There were times in the beginning this was all she could do, but soon, she could be a defensive force as well. And then she started hearing his gratitude in the form of words.

Times of battle were the only time she was ever physically close to him. Having to hold him back made things a little less awkward between them time after time. Though she was sure he didn't mind, she felt comfort. Before he started to really talk to her outside of the Dark Hour, this was one of the few reasons she went time after time. By fall, it was just another excuse to spend more time around him.

Despite taking some contentment in his presence, as the days flew on and he remained the same towards her, she felt a bit of doubt. Did he even pay attention to her as much as she did to him? Hell, did she even matter more than anyone else to him? It wasn't something she wanted to feel. She just did. She couldn't ever blame it on his stoic psyche, but she could help but feel he wasn't receiving her. She, too, was always shadowed by the death of a parent, in his case, both. So, with all her might, she attempted to understand, but she was already too deep in the ground.

After a while, she grew okay with his lack of response. She learned that part of having these feelings was accepting him for him. Makoto was Makoto and nothing but fate had a factor in strongly changing him. But even after coming to that realization, the very first time she rose something new out of him, she treasured the special occasion. By chance, one could say their eyes meeting was just a coincidence, but his prolonged gaze wasn't. Her small smile broke his eyes away, though he just sat there, oddly still, before standing. Sure, from a side angle, his silver eyes could be examined, however, seeing them head on was something magical.

The days that followed she felt her gaze and her touch returned. He would look back at her and he would help her up after having fallen. The feeling of getting more than just silence was an enormous sensation. The most she treasured was the occasional hug, whether she needed one or not. No matter, he was always there to listen and take away her loneliness and doubt. And the more they touched, the more they could get in before time ran out.

…

January 29th, 2009

Yukari's Dorm Room

Evening

…

Sitting awkwardly on the edge of her bed, Yukari avoided looking up at him. Instead, she focused more on her feet and floor below. She kept to herself, her hands clasped in her lap and her legs closed and crossed together.

"I'm… not quite sure if you know why I wanted you here…" She softly spoke, now turning her gaze to her nightstand. "But I know you're something special, so…" Trying to fight off the gloom, she gave a soft snort, but grew lost in thought once more.

Makoto too remained quiet. As usual, with his hands shoved in his slack pockets, nothing new. But he took great interest in her body language. She could feel his gaze on the side of her head, not looking anywhere else. Feeling time slip from her fingers as her clock ticked, she met his gaze. He looked down at her, but more in attentiveness than anything else possible. The unfaltering look in his silver eyes made a soft laugh slide from between her lips and out.

"Look, I may be in with fighting Nyx and all," She began, keeping her lips slightly curled. "But… I can't help but have all these what-ifs…" Taking her gaze from him, she looked at the ground again, then back into his eyes.

"What I'm getting at is… Is that maybe we could… you know…" She covered her mouth and cleared her throat. "Maybe we could… take a bit of a gamble tonight?" The thought of it spread a bright blush across her fair cheeks, her smiling widening too.

His eyelids gave way to slightly widen gaze, something she was by far used to by now. "You mean…?" He murmured, his lips curled in a bit of curiosity and contemplation. As she tugged at her red bow around her neck, she gave a slight nod. It wasn't till she had brushed her fingers across each of her sweater's buttons that he acted.

While she worked at her undershirt, she intently gaze as he set down his music player on her side table and pulled open his jacket. Her actions froze for a moment as she watched his jacket carelessly fall to the floor behind him. He seemed a bit indifferent about the coming ordeal, but it wasn't unknown to her that he was hard to excite. When he looked her right in the eyes as he pulled his neck ribbon undone, she went back to her undershirt, pulling it open and off. Although he took no such mind to her revealed brasserie, her cheeks burned with it now being out there for him to see.

Even though she had started ahead of him, he had pulled down his slacks before she had even taken her socks off her feet. Now his eyes were strictly on her now as she still undressed before him. Though when she had nothing left but her brasseries and her choker around her neck, he approached her, assuming top.

His deep gaze from above her tickled her pink with giggles. "Give me a minute, will you?" But he took no waste in pressing his lips to her neck. She let a short breath escape, and then gave a bit of whine. She couldn't see it, but she felt his slender fingers caressing her bare side and his lips softly pecking at her. When she felt a bit of a nibble, she was taken aback, responding with a soft yelp.

Pressing a hand against his bare chest, she stroked his fairly defined abs as she listen to him smooch. Her breathing increased in volume as his hand went up her torso and his fingers teased her bra's hook. With impressive skill, he pulled the metal pieces apart from one another moved his hand. Since her arms were pressed inwards, her straps fell down her shoulders and her bra gave a bit way to her breasts. A soft gasp told him of her bright red cheeks without having to look at them. With his lips leaving her neck, he pulled her bra down and out of the way at the same time. Her hardened, human udders and his immediate gaze caused her emotions to come out in a gentle moan. Although, instead of being a typical teenage boy, he took hardly any mind to her half nakedness and leaned his head into hers.

The moment his lips pressed onto hers, all her fears escaped her. Running her fingers through his soft, royal blue locks, she kissed him back. His delicate, gentle lips spread a newfound warmth through her body. They were damp, but not slobbery. Every contact made her fall into him. This was it. That something she only dreamed of feeling upon her own lips. Something not to be commonly expected from him. Something profoundly special to her. It was something that she couldn't get anywhere else. It was something that spoke louder than any diction he could speak.

She gave into his silent affections, letting him do what has never been done to her before. She let him in and allowed him to penetrate the seal around her heart. She permitted him to sway her prurience with his every move. He gave her the privilege to see his unique smiles of rarity. He let her take comfort in between his neck and shoulder as her tears rained down. He took no mind to the pinch of her nails digging into his back.

"Makoto…" She heaved in a slight sob, soon followed by a gasping groan. He made her feel as if they were in a bed of clouds, floating above the doomed world. His short gasps for breath were like whispers, his breath hot on her skin. As their clouds floated on, so did they into a mess of last minute throwaways. If their precious world were to end, they would want to leave it without having an empty desire in their last moments.

But out of all Yukari couldn't believe, was that the last moments they thought of turned out to be this last moment of devotion to one another. The everlasting question of her future without him by her side. The only emptiness she felt was the loss of another moment like this…


	11. Chapter 11: The Releasing

Here's another chapter! Sorry for the lack of updates as of late;;; I'm super swamped with CST/ITE and my internet has been acting up lately for whatever reason... ;-;

I'm thinking ahead a bit and I might have this story be between 15-20 chapters, but I still don't know yet. I don't want to rush things along in the story and leave out some things that might make the story more interesting. But as of now, I really don't know what I should add because I have a lot I want to convey, but I don't know how;;;

If you have anything you want to see or to suggest, let me know! 3

…

In the days that followed Makoto's passing, she was in a trance. Just as everyone else had, she deeply mourned. However, her emotions were haywire, leading to a blank stare and not much talk from her. Mitsuru was first to take action in planning for his funeral. Eventually, most of them took part in the decisions. Where and when to have his tsuya*, funeral and cremation, and where to have him laid to rest. Every time the words were said, she felt herself weaken inside her heart. With every passing minute, she knew he was gone, but she remained in agony.

Nobody knew of any living relatives of his. It was known that his parents already passed. So they did their research on his public records and found they were buried at a temple fairly far from Iwatodai. Upon contacting the temple, they became in contact with a few of his relatives. Although having not known him well, they offered to be of assistance and attendance. And soon, within a short amount of time, the remaining S.E.E.S. members traveled with his corpse to the town where the temple was located. The trip was mostly filled with silence. Nothing much was said and nobody bothered to change that.

...

March 10th, 2010

Late Morning

Temple

…

Black. Everyone was dressed in black. Including Koromaru.

From their seats behind of what relatives did show up, Yukari could see his elaborate display. Thanks to the wealthy Kirijos, it was quite the show. The framing display was aligned in a flashy, golden shine. Dozens upon dozens of colorful flower arrangements, mostly of white lillies and carnations. In the middle of it all, laid his coffin with his framed portrait set atop. It was his school portrait, him in his school uniform with his common front on his face. It didn't do the true him justice.

Her mind was in a flurry. She could hardly pay attention as the priest did his shpeal. With her eyes glued onto Makoto's, he was all she thought about. Him and his unborn son she carried. She had told none but the other girls of the dorm of her state. Not even his relatives knew of the child. And they never will...

It was Fuuka who nudged her when it was time for the burning of the incense. With a blank stare, she lit them, watching deeply into the flames. The scent strongly carried with the rest, but she hardly took any mind. All she did was watch the flame burn further down the stick and the smoke rise into the air. The priest's words were only mumbles to her ears.

Once the end of the tsuya came around, everyone gave their condolences to one another. Some of his relatives talked to the S.E.E.S. members. Most thanked Mitsuru for her financial aid, but not all was directed towards her. The rest of them too got their deepest of prayers, despite their prying on what kind of friend he was. Many otained word on Yukari and his' relationship and surrounded her with both love and prying.

"How did the two of you get together?"

"What kind of lover was he?"

"It must be so hard to lose a lover at such a young age…"

"Did you two have intercourse? You better not have, young lady…"

Even after all those questions, she could hardly remember her responses, let alone most of the conversations. Some were accepting while others were disapproving and judging. It was fairly easy to tell who truly carried for him and who thought of him as a burden.

None of the relatives stayed for vigil, but considering her relationship with him, they welcomed her to, despite against tradition. This too was offered to the rest of S.E.E.S., but they declined for her. So, below the display she laid, looking up at the display from the ground. Light from the looming moon outside gleamed upon the golden frame of his portrait and water shined on the flowers.

"Makoto…" Her voice came out soft, yet hoarse. She hadn't been there for long and tears were already starting to form. Curling up into her futon, she let her wails ring out and the tears stream down her face. Her body trembled. She couldn't stop. The tears kept coming and the sobs kept escaping her throat. Her pain she kept in all day continuously spilled out. Nothing was barricading them now.

"Why…?!" She sat up and sobbed to his portrait. "Why did you leave me?! Why did you leave me with your child?!" She lowered her head to the ground and pounded her fist on the wooden floor. Her banging echoed, by the time one faded off, another sounded.

"Why did you leave me all alone?!" She howled, lifting her head up to him with eyes closed. Salty tears ran into her open mouth as she bawled. His face could hardly be seen from behind all her tears. It made her cry harder, as if his presence had already vanished enough.

With a shaking hand, she reached out to him. With all her might, she tried to grasp what she wanted to believe was still there. He had to be there. He just had to be. There's no way he could just leave her like this. If she could just reach out far enough…

Her body fell to the ground with a loud thud, having reached too far forward. Her elbow throbbed, but not as much as her heart was. Soon, her sobs had slowly decreased into soft heaves. She buried her face into her folded arms, her sounds muffled. Every now and then, her shoulders shook.

"Makoto…" She quietly sobbed, looking into the ground. "I… I want to see you… again…" Giving short sniffles, she wiped her nose on her sleeve, not giving a care.

"If you were still here, I would keep our child…" She continued, her voice tuned low. Lifting her head, she met with his eyes once more.

"We would raise it together…" She gazed deeply into his gray eyes, focusing on them. "We would be a family… With a mother and a father… A-And we would even… get married…" A few tears streamed down her cheeks and she let out a series of sobs before regaining somewhat control.

"I don't know… what to do…" She examined his static gaze. "I know I said I wasn't going to be as weak as my mom, but… Now I know why she was doing what she did... After losing the love of her life, she too was lost… Just like… I am now…"

She tore her gaze from his portrait. So much of her mind was on him. Not that he shouldn't, but it was absurd how much was. Memories of him with her was all she could ever think about. After all that time, those plans to go to the mountains, to Destinyland, all fell through...

"If I knew you were going to go, I would have asked for more…" She gave a soft snort. "Call me selfish. I don't care. I really do wish we would have done more together…" She traced her finger across the hardwood floor, lost in thought.

Letting out a sigh, she looked back up at him. "I don't even know how you'd feel about being a father…" She slowly storked her arms with her fingertips. "You didn't really have much to say about anything. Sometimes, I would wonder if you were even thinking half the time…"

"But I'm fairly certain you would be more careful with your life," She went on to say. "And I guess now you wish you didn't leave for that reason…" She removed her gaze and stroked her hand over her mouth. Considering what happened to his parents, along with her father…

Letting out an exasperated sigh, she sat back up in her futon, her hands clasped in her lap. "If you were only here, maybe I could make a smarter decision…" Taking a moment to look at him one last time, she cracked a small smile before lying down.

As she wrapped her blanket around her body, she swore she felt a familiar warmth surround her.

…

March 11th, 2010

Late Morning

Temple

…

There they were again, standing before his open casket. With the priest's blabber and his relatives.

Not feeling quite as different from the day prior, everything felt like deja vu to her. The priest was chanting a sutra again. Incenses were burned in offering. His relatives were talking of what they remember of his life. Nothing much gave her enough interest, other than her lover in the casket before them.

When the ceremony ended and everyone else had a turn to say their farewells, she approached at last.

Just as he was merely weeks ago, his face was young and relaxed, his eyes closed. His deep blue locks were neatly brushed, a bit neater than he had it. His body was dressed in a black suit and his hands clasped together utop his torso. A smile softly spread across her lips. He was just as dashy as he was when they were last together.

She resisted the urge to reach out and stroke his face. Instead, she took the bright red roses she held and placed them directly below his chin. They parted from one another to make way for his chin, framing it in a beautiful display.

Biting her bottom lip, she continued to stare at his peaceful face. She kept her hands clasped together in front of her, rocking on her feet.

"I guess… this is farewell…" She spoke in a whisper. Unsure, she kicked the ground, lifting up some gravel and moving it a distance. After either losing sight of it or watching it stop, she looked back up to him. For what only seemed like moments, she gazed at him. So long that the others returned to watch his casket close.

Not giving a protest or a movement, she watched as his body disappeared under the lid. Then as he was lifted into the hearse and driven off.

…

She couldn't bring herself to go to the cremation. Before they went, her friends dropped her off at the hotel. So she laid there alone in the silence of her own company.

For the hours they were gone, she stayed in constant lamenting. Thoughts of him continued to echo in her head. Some of their last times together and a few of the moment earlier today in front of his casket. The thought of his corpse being reduced to ashes kept coming now and again, causing bursts of angry sobs.

They returned hours later with small portions of his remains, along with one for her. She acknowledged it, but asked them to just put it in her luggage. It was explained to her about tomorrow's events, but she hardly listen. She fell into a deep sleep…

…

March 12th, 2010

Late Morning

Temple

…

She was hesitant, but she went to the graveyard to watch them place his urn into the ground.

As they had planned, he was placed with his mother and father's urns at the Yuki gravesite. Everyone in attendance intently watched as the gravekeeper carefully engraved his name below theirs: 結城 理

Despite not knowing exactly the cause of his death, they were certain he was resting alongside his parents. They were for certain he was at peace.

As for Yukari… She was in turmoil.

…

February 1st, 2021

Late Morning

Temple

…

In the present day, there she stood in front of his grave, alongside Hisato. The boy was a mixture of curiosity and uncertainty. He stood a bit behind his mother, holding her hand.

"Don't be shy," Yukari spoke with a soft voice and gentle smile. "Go say hello…"

He looked up at his mother. She gently pulled him forward with a tug, making him take a few steps forward. His gaze intently at the monument, reading the engravings for a short moment.

"H… H-Hi, Dad," Hisato gave a small wave, then put his hands behind his back. "I'm glad to finally meet you…" He rocked back and forth on his feet, going silent. So Yukari kneeled down behind him and put her hands on his arms.

"He's so much like you…" She whispered to the monument, her smile remaining. "He's a really kind, caring boy… I'm sure you're as proud of him as I am…" She gave Hisato a kiss on the forehead, making him give a giggle and a smile.

Hisato continued to look at his father's name on the stone. "I… I want to be as strong and brave as you one day, Dad…" He shuffled his feet and stared at them, then looked back up. "Mom told me what you did for us and the whole world… I want to do something for everyone too!" He gave a wide grin, giving a small laugh.

"He's know you will…" She whispered into his ear. "And so do I…"

The young boy looked at his mother with wide eyes. "Really?! Do you really think I can?!"

She nodded, smiling. "Yes, I do,"

He turned back to his father and jumped up and down. "Don't worry, Dad!" He gave a big thumbs-up. "You can count on me! I'll do good for you, Mom, and the rest of the world! Just like you did!"

Seeing him like this made her so warm in her heart. She was glad to see that he had the same love for his father as she did for him. It was almost as if he was really here. He brought his father to life in the form of words and excitement. Such a refreshing new life… She couldn't wait to see what he could do for the world...

She just hoped not to the extent of his father...


	12. Chapter 12: The Eventful

Her talk with Elizabeth was well-timed. As Hisato grew and grew, she grew more and more realized. The odd woman was right. He was so much like his father than she originally saw. Despite her own features noticeable along with it, he reminded her so much of Makoto…

With the thought of the woman's theory on her son and late lover being similar entities on her mind, it had her wondering. Was this really the truth? Would he one day, grow to look like his father's twin? She didn't really know what exactly this meant. Heck, it probably means a lot of things. From what she remembered from this whole Persona thing, it wasn't the easiest to understand. Even as a former Persona user, she had only the faintest of ideas as to why certain things happened back then.

All she could think of was she couldn't keep from him for long… Not if the world needed him one day…

…

October 21st, 2024

Evening

Takeba Residence

…

Hisato's 14th birthday was a splendid one. The Iori's came over to celebrate, along with seven year-old Neoma, a now close friend of his. He was the happiest he had been all day around his close family, familiar smiles and laughter being a fond thing to Yukari. When the guests left, she put into motion her big decision.

Hisato sat at the kitchen table, cleaning up the remainder of the party. Yukari watched him until the dishwasher was running and the kitchen was just as if a birthday never took place. Before he left the room, she spoke.

"Hisato?"

The young teen turned to his mother, perked up and attentive. "Yes, mother?"

"Sit down for a moment, sweetie," She motioned towards the kitchen table. As he took his seat, she took hers next to his. Putting her hands together, she let out a sigh.

"I think it's time I told you, Hisato…" She spoke in a soft tone, gazing at her hands. He was already all ears, waiting. His persistent gaze didn't help ease her nerves. She wet her lips with her tongue and cleared her throat.

"It all started when your father was six years old," Beginning at a time she never experienced herself, she spoke slow. "On a night in the beginning of December, his parents were killed in a fiery car crash…"

She told it all. From Death by the name of Ryoji being sealed inside his father by his godmother, to the day that his father gave his life for the sake of the world… Talking about it all slowly tore open old wounds with every word. She held onto her heart, in fear its wounds would open as well.

"And on the graduation day for our older friends, he fell into a slumber he never woke from…" A few tears had managed their way out throughout the story, but by the end, she felt a wave of calm surround her. There. She finally told it all.

Her son's brown eyes were laying on her, a bit wide-eyed. "Mother, I... I didn't know how bad it really was…" He softly spoke, a soft exhale sounding at the end of his sentence. "I'm… I'm sorry for bugging you about it for so many years…" He took his gaze from her and put it on the floor, a frown on his face.

"Now that you know…"

She lifted up from her lap Makoto's Evoker. As she softly set it on the table, the sound of metal lifted her son's head. Upon laying his eyes on it, he immediately looked at her with wide eyes.

"I think it's about time we see if you have a Persona…" She whispered, grazing the fake gun with her fingertips.

Hisato's eyes gleamed, but shook with both fear and sadness. For that was upon his mother's face.

She gave him a slightly unconvincing smile. "Don't worry," She assured him. "I will be with you, summoning mine…" Placing her hand gently on top of his, she used her thumb to rub his.

He nodded, his mouth gaping a bit open and his eyes remaining wide. With a bit of hesitance, he took his father's Evoker from her. As he held it, his hand shook and he took a deep swallow.

The time had finally come.

…

October 30th, 2024

Afternoon

Shadow Operatives Office

...

"Try your best to relax…"

Hisato stood before his mother, along with her seniors, Mitsuru and Akihiko. Holding his father's Evoker in his hand, he steadied himself, taking a deep breath. Within a few minutes, his hand slowed to a hardly visible tremble.

"You're doing great, Hisato," His mother softly spoke to him. "Now, watch me carefully," It was Yukari's turn to take a deep breath and relax. Slowly putting her own Evoker to her forehead, she breathed in and out. Her heart pounded in both her chest and her ears. After a few moments, she managed to get a grip on it and let out a heavy breath. Then she pulled the trigger.

Unlike she had expected, Isis emerged from within her, shedding a bright, familiar light. For whatever peculiar reason, she felt something rise out of her as her Persona did. It remained for a few moments, until she let it go, the light dispersing. Her son's eyes were watching, full of wonder, yet his body resumed a bit of trembling.

"Seems to have lost some of its power from being kept unsummonded for quite sometime…" Mitsuru mentioned as the scientists behind her took note.

Yukari, having closed her eyes, opened them back to Hisato. "Now, you give it a go…" She took a few steps forward and gently grabbed ahold of her son's hand. "Don't be afraid… Just keep your eyes on me if you need to…" Then, she let go, taking the few steps back...

Just as Yukari did, Hisato took a deep breath before putting the Evoker to his head. Just as his father did. His breathing was raspy as first, wavering just a bit. After taking yet another few minutes, he relaxed into the emotions bouncing around in him. And just like his father, he whispered one word…

"Persona…"

...And pulled the trigger.

An even brighter light than before filled the room, causing some of the on-lookers to shield their eyes a bit. But Yukari did nothing. She blankly stared, watching a Persona take form before her very eyes. The shards of light soon formed into what had been expected. It was an almost angel-like figure, yet bore a tablet in one hand and a cloak over its Orpheus-like body. Just like Hisato himself, it smiled, seeming blissful.

"Musaeus…" Hisato murmured, his eyes closed. A small smile parted his lips.

"The son of Orpheus…" Mitsuru added, also in a shocking awe.

As for Yukari, she could have sworn her eyes were playing tricks on her. Hisato and Musaeus kept switching with Makoto and Messiah in her vision. Like static on a television, they swapped back and forth and jumbled together.

Her gaze started to focus on the figure that kept being both her son and her late lover. A smile was remaining pasted on both faces. The eyes switched between silver and light brown. One body was a young teen while the other was a near adult. Soon, Makoto's figure could be seen more often than Hisato's. Then, the older male's lips moved… No sound, just movement...

"Yukari…"

As soon as the lips closed shut, Hisato, along with Musaeus, was back in their rightful place. An just as her son's Persona vanished, Yukari was brought back into reality, her body falling to the ground.

"Mother!"

"Yukari!"

Mitsuru rushed over just in time to catch her within her arms. Catching the fallen woman's weight, she was able to let out a somewhat relaxed breath. Kneeling to the ground, she held her in her lap, looking over the younger woman's body.

"Yukari, are you okay?!" She held her tightly in her arms. A bit of sweat dropped down her nearly flawless skin. Soon, the woman's brown eyes opened up to her.

"Don't worry," Yukari gave a small smile. "I'm alright…" Thankfully, she was capable of sitting up on her own. Though Mitsuru continued to give her body support, a hand on her back.

Hisato let out a sigh, a small smile on his face. The scientists in the room furiously took notes and murmured amongst themselves. Then his smile faded into a frown, taking a few steps closer to his mother.

"I'm… sorry if I scared you, mother…" He began to close into himself, crossing his legs together and folding his hands behind his back. His brown eyes looked down, but at the tiled floor, not her.

The young mother shook her head, her hair waving with it. "No, you didn't scare me, Hisato," She graciously assured him, smiling. "I… was still feeling some side effects from summoning my Persona, is all…" But she couldn't tell him the truth of them.

"I'll have the doctor give you both a thorough examination before your departure," Mitsuru notified the Takebas as she helped her best friend up from the ground. As Hisato rushed up to the two, Yukari let go of Mitsuru's support and opened her arms for him. Finally able to put his arms fully around her, he gave her an enormous hug, his height putting his head just barely above her bosom. She too hugged him, holding him close.

…

Late Night

…

"I saw him in my son's place…"

The silver bobbed hair atop the woman's head bounced as she crooked her head to the side. Her golden eyes ominously glowed in the dim-lit room, narrowed and unchanged by her words.

"What could that possibly mean?" Elizabeth took a seat next to her bed, relaxing into its plushness. She awaited Yukari's answer, leisurely resting her arms upon the armrests.

"I… could see Makoto instead of Hisato for some time…" Her gaze was glued to her clasped hands in her lap as she spoke. "And he… he lipped my name to me…" Remembering it alone strained her mind. Attempting to contemplate why was even harder for her.

Her words seemed to stump the velvet lady. Elizabeth stroked her chin with a gloved finger, looking into the tile floor. Her gaze was furious, not in anger but instead in strong thought.

"That is quite intriguing…" She finally spoke up, obviously not aware of her rhetorical response. But she soon recovered for her odd moment, lifting her head up along with a finger.

"This could further prove my point of them being similar entities…" Proclaiming with a small smile, she scooted her chair closer to Yukari's bedside. "His son doesn't know of his father as much as you do. It's presumably obvious that you instead of him would see my past guest in some form or another…"

"Yes…" Yukari flatly responded. "But what does that even mean?" Sitting up further in her bed, she gazed with intent at the mystic woman.

Elizabeth gave a small chuckle, closing her eyes and smiling. "It was simply a stray thought, is all," she halfheartedly justified herself, leaning backwards into the chair. "However, it could be a range of many reasons than that… It could be their individual powers are far too alike for fate itself to distinguish them apart. But as for you… that's quite the curious thought…"

"Huh?" It was Yukari's turn to crook her head to the side.

She waved an apathetic gloved hand. "Again, a stray thought running loose," She then turned her head to the windowed night, looking up at the stars. Her golden eyes glistened and seemed to be entranced by their bright glimmer.

"Do you see him, too?"

"Hm...?" Elizabeth turned her flat gaze back onto Yukari. "What's this nonsense you speak of, dear?"

Yukari stared into her eyes for a moment, then gave a short shake of the head. "Nothing," she softly spoke. "Just a stray thought…"

An amused chuckle rose from Elizabeth as she used her closed fist to cover her mouth. Then she placed her hand back onto her brown tome.

"I have to say, I'm quite glad to be getting somewhere with this…"


End file.
